Short Doc Explores Humanity in Hayao Miyazaki's Animation

Lewis Bond's short documentary "The Essence of Humanity" examines how Hayao Miyazaki prioritizes emotional complexity over plot. Miyazaki, who dislikes being called the Japanese Walt Disney, creates realistic three-dimensional characters driven by desires, not tidy endings. Western animated features often rely on deus ex machina, but Miyazaki gives characters what they need, not what they want, emphasizing spiritual growth. His films feature non-verbal scenes of everyday actions and use weather and settings to reflect character development, as seen in his first feature, 1979's The Castle of Cagliostro.